# Forest Haven

Forest Haven (previously the District Training School for the Mentally Retarded) was a state school and hospital for children and adults with intellectual disabilities located in Laurel, Maryland and operated by the District of Columbia. The site was opened in 1925 and closed on October 14, 1991, by order of a federal judge after years of physical and sexual abuse, medical incompetence, ten deaths from aspiration pneumonia, and hundreds of other deaths under suspicious circumstances.

## History

Forest Haven opened in 1925 as a farm-like institution geared towards educating its patients with useful life skills. It encompassed nearly 300 acres and contained 22 separate buildings, and at its height housed well over one thousand patients. Its decline began in the 1960s as funding was cut and the population grew to include persons with non-ID conditions such as epilepsy. In 1974, Forest Haven received at least 20 individuals from a nearby orphanage "Junior Village" which had closed. A lawsuit filed by families of patients at Forest Haven in 1976 and joined by the Department of Justice in 1978 resulted in the relocation of many residents to group homes, but the facility continued to operate, even allowing a physician with a suspended medical license to continue practicing there.
In 1981, staff member Lemuel L. Taylor was charged with misappropriation and theft after stealing over $40,000 ($82,227 today) from Forest Haven residents' bank accounts. In September 1981, a two-week trial commenced in which a jury convicted him, and he was sentenced to five years in prison. A Washington Post piece reported in August 1982 that the victims of Taylor's theft had still not been reimbursed.
Between 1989 and 1991, prior to the facility's closure, the Justice Department began to monitor deaths from aspiration pneumonia, a condition that can be caused by improper feeding procedures (e.g. feeding a patient who is lying down). There are also accounts of rampant physical, mental, and sexual abuse at the facility. Prior residents have reported being hit with "belts, switches, and baseball bats." Missing teeth and other dental problems are commonly reported. Many of the residents who died were buried in a mass grave, unmarked until a headstone – noting 389 individuals – was erected by some of the patients' families in 1987. Some of the graves have been uncovered by erosion.
In April 1994, families of six of the victims settled a lawsuit against Forest Haven for $1,075,000 ($2,209,856 today).
Today, the site is abandoned and is heavily guarded and patrolled by United States Park Police, but remains a popular attraction for urban explorers. Many hazardous items such as asbestos have been removed, but much of the equipment, including desks, beds, toys, and medical records remain.

## Timeline and history

| Date | Event |
| 1925 | "District Training School for the Mentally Retarded" opens |
| 1928 | First on-grounds burial |
| 1954 | Thorazine becomes widely used in hospitals and institutions |
| 1963 | Institution name changes to "Forest Haven" |
| 1967 | Joy Evans court-ordered to Forest Haven |
| 1971 | Curley Building opened |
| 1972 | More than 100 job vacancies at Forest Haven reported |
| February 23, 1973 | Evans v. Fenty lawsuit filed |
| 1974 | Nearby orphanage "Junior Village" closes, 20 children are relocated to Forest Haven |
| July 1976 | Joy Evans dies (age 18) |
| 1978 | US Departement of Justice joins lawsuit Evans v. Fenty |
| 1987 | Families of patients construct a plaque to mark the 389 individuals buried in the mass grave |
| August 8.1989 | Arkie, a resident since the age of 5, dies of aspiration pneumonia at the age of 22 |
| 1991 | D.C. becomes the second jurisdiction to deinstitutionalize |
| September 29, 1991 | Last resident relocated |
| October 14, 1991 | Forest Haven officially closes |